The survival horror of Capcom’sResident Evilfranchise has captured the interest of millions of fans over the 25 years since the first game launched. Capcom’s best-selling franchise has created a huge array of characters through the years, from the original’s Jill Valentine to the latest internet obsession, Lady Dimitrescu.Resident Evilalso has a history of multiplayer gamesthat get released alongside new entries in the series, and one of these apparently features a gay character.
For those who may not know, the remake ofResident Evil 3came bundled withResident Evil: Resistance.Developed by NeoBards Entertainment,Resistanceis an asymmetrical multiplayer horror game, similar toDead by Daylight.The story of the game takes place in 1998 around the Raccoon City Destruction Incident, following characters that have been abducted by the Umbrella Intelligence Division. Four Survivors face off against one Mastermind as part of Umbrella’s experiments with the t-Virus.
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In a recent series of tweets celebrating Pride Month, the game director forResident Evil: Resistance,Al Yang, revealed that one of the Survivors is gay. Yang explained that Tyrone Henry, the game’s tanky Survivor, was always intended to be gay. The developers didn’t want Tyrone’s sexuality to be the sole basis for his character though, and there wasn’t a great way to include that information in dialogue without it sounding forced. In any case, this news makesResistanceone of the onlyResident Evilgameswith an LGBTQ+ character.
However, many players may be confused as to why Tyrone’s sexuality is just now being revealed over a year after the game’s release. According to Yang, theResistanceteam didn’t have “the luxury of having constant transmedia lore drops” likeOverwatchorLeague of Legends. Since dialogue wasn’t a great way to insinuate Tyrone’s sexuality, Yang took it upon himself to publicly reveal the information, even though Tyrone is just one of theminor characters in theResident Evilfranchise.
While the importance of having a visible gay, black man in gaming media can’t be understated, players may have mixed feelings about its inclusion after the fact. Some players reacted in a similar way whenOverwatchrevealed Solider: 76 to be gay. Even if developers conceptualize characters to be part of the LGBTQ+ community, it won’t have as much impact unless it’s actually stated at the beginning.
All in all, it’s great that huge franchises likeResident Evilare thinking of new ways to introduce diverse characters into the mix. Players will still be able to experienceResident Evil: Resistanceand its asymmetrical matches.Resident Evilfans can also soon enjoy theResident Evilcrossover withDead by Daylightto celebrateResident Evil’s 25th anniversary, andDead by Daylight’s 5th.
Resident Evil: Resistanceis available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
